Ryan Williams, a "5-star plus" wide receiver high school recruit, is returning to Alabama.
BREAKING: Saraland 5-star WR Ryan Williams has recommitted to Alabama, the reigning Alabama Mr. Football winner is rolling with the Tide @Ryanwms1
FULL @WKRG story here: https://t.co/ADmcHMohnf pic.twitter.com/onxv2jEzIL
— Simone Eli (@SimoneEli_TV) January 24, 2024
We say "headed back" because Williams, who's an Alabama native, initially committed to Alabama while Nick Saban was still the head coach but entered the transfer portal after Saban retired.
He visited Texas A&M and had scheduled visits with Texas, Auburn and LSU. But on Wednesday, he canceled his visit to Texas, and now we know why.
On Jan. 20, new Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer visited with Williams again, and Williams is now headed back to his home-state school.
"He knows what it takes, and he's going to continue the culture and the Alabama standard," Williams said about DeBoer. "It's not going to drop off one bit, and he just wanted me to understand that I could have a big role in that. I have open eyes and I want to hear them out. It's just about building a relationship as fast as possible because I have a relationships with other coaches around the country, so if that's somewhere I'm considering, I need to have that. I love Alabama, I was committed there for a year for a reason."
This move comes as numerous players have left the program, including another five-star-plus recruit in Julian Sayin and an excellent defensive back in Caleb Downs. Both players left for Ohio State.
Despite this "exodus," DeBoer appeared to be unfazed by it during an appearance Wednesday on "The Pat McAfee Show."
"Football is football and we're hitting the ground running..
We're not rebuilding we're reloading"@KalenDeBoer #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/3vkiF2RRbc
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 24, 2024
"Football is football, and we're hitting the ground running," the former Washington Huskies head coach said. "We're not rebuilding — we're reloading,"
During his transfer portal process, Williams spoke highly of other programs.
Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Texas and Texas A&M are all in contention for Five-Star Plus+ WR Ryan Williams, he tells @ChadSimmons_?
Read: https://t.co/TAA2hMrGtV pic.twitter.com/03ViMFlAeo
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) January 14, 2024
"Everything is neck and neck," Williams said. "I need someone to excel and take the throne."
Williams is 6-foot-5 and 165 pounds. He was named as Alabama's Mr. Football in 2022 and twice won the Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year award. Williams was also a 5-star recruit by 247Sports and a top-10 player nationally in his recruiting class.
Now, we'll look to see what DeBoer and the Crimson Tide can do with a player who caught 72 passes for 1,324 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior in high school.
The Crimson Tide are looking to rebound from Saban's retirement and the team's loss in the first round of the College Football Playoff to conclude their 2023-24 season.
